In a news release, the average daily passenger load in August was said to be 652.

“Nova Star’s August passenger numbers provide confidence that there is a growing market in the U.S. and Canada for the ferry service, and that awareness of the ferry service is beginning to be re-established after an almost five-year hiatus of service,” said Nova Star Cruises president Mark Amundsen in the release.

The company said positive customer feedback on social media is one reason customer levels are on the rise.

Marketing efforts, new rates and packages, onboard events and warmer weather all played a role, it said.

This week, the executive director of Nova Scotia’s Village Historique Acadien de la Nouvelle Ecosse in Lower West Pubnico said the number of visitors up to the end of July had increased by 28 per cent over the same period last year.

Roger d’Entremont said the Nova Star was most likely the reason.

Commercial trucks hauling primarily Nova Scotia seafood were said to be using the Nova Star almost daily, making timely runs to New England and back home again.

A long-term goal of Nova Star Cruises is to build up commercial truck traffic on the ferry, Bailey said in May.

“We can accommodate quite a few (trucks),” he said of the ship, which has room for over 300 vehicles.

Portland, Maine is less than a two-hour drive from Boston and only a few hours from some other major centres, said Bailey.